A man shared how flip flops are made in a viral video. The clip has some users questioning the price of popular slides such as Yeezy.
TikTok user MonmentsGang (@momentsgang) often reposts viral content on the internet. On March 2, the account posted a video that shows the inside of a factory that makes flip flops. In the video, a man fills a mold with granules of plastic and presses a button to activate the machine. It presses down on the plastic, and when it releases, a row of plastic flip flops pops out of the mold.
The caption reads, “This is how flip flops are made.” The video garnered 5.1 million views since it was posted. It credits the video to @foodexplorerlalit on Instagram. The Instagrammer's bio says they are from, “India Exploring Street food, Food Industry And All Products Manufacturering all around the world.”
According to premiumflipflops.com, “A single pair of flip-flops takes about an hour to make from start to finish. A cardboard box full of rubber-like plastic pellets is used to start the basic process of making a flip-flop. The pellets are sucked up by an injection molding machine, heated, and squirted into a hinged metal mold. Each mold is designed to create a single shoe each time it is filled, similar to a waffle iron. A worker trims any excess material from the molds as it cools.”
@momentsgang This is how flip flops are made (?: IG/foodexplorerlalit)
♬ original sound - MomentsGang™
In the comments scetion, viewers noted the manufacturing costs and price point at the register don’t appear to align. For reference, in 2019, Yeezy slides retailed at $55 for adults, $45 for kids, and $35 for infants.
One user said, “And y’all here spending $500 for Yeezy slides.”
A second user said, “That will be $60.”
Another user questioned the worker’s technique. “Am I the only one tripn on him not spreading them evenly,” they wrote.
Someone else pointed out the graffiti on the factory machine. “So we just going to act like that sign not there,” they wrote. Another user noted that in Hinduism, the swastika symbol represents prosperity and good luck.
A similar video posted to Reddit two months ago prompted a similar discussion. One user said, “14 cents in resin maybe. Labor machine investment electricity water upkeep shop design and tooling.”
The Daily Dot reached out to MomentsGang via email and @foodexplorerlalit via Instagram direct message for comment.
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